SDS – Breaking Onsite Data Capacity Limits

Cloud storage services promise virtually unlimited capacity on a pay-as-you-use basis. But they also help to overcome a major problem for the CTO – disaster recovery.

Most organisations already have a robust backup and recovery program in place – but their existing technology limits what they can achieve. The larger the capacity of an array, the longer it takes to rebuild for instance.

Although vendors are constantly releasing new, higher capacity drives – like Seagate’s 8TB monster – their application in traditional arrays is limited. With an array rebuild potentially lasting weeks, the loss of performance is simply unacceptable for many enterprise applications.

So although it is possible to extend on-site capacity, technical limitations means it is easier to adopt cloud – regardless of whether it is the best choice strategically.

SDS breaks the storage ceiling

The pooled storage approach of SDS can overcome these physical limitations. It is possible to deploy and rebuild SDS nodes populated with 8-10TB drives without taking down the entire system. Striping data across multiple nodes further reduces the overall performance impact of a rebuild.

In this way, SDS increases potential on-site storage capacities, delaying the “inevitable” move to the cloud. It could also be instrumental in helping to keep mission critical data on-site for maximum performance.

More importantly still, upgrading existing hardware with new 8TB hard drives is simple and inexpensive – far cheaper than purchasing a whole new array. A basic capacity upgrade could also help to extend the lifespan of existing storage arrays well beyond the post-warranty period (backed by a suitable third party maintenance contract of course).

SDS continues to offer businesses new ways of managing their data and contain their costs. And many of the hurdles that have forced businesses into the cloud are now being challenged too. So it makes sense to seriously consider whether SDS is a better fit for your business needs before moving to a hosted service.

For more help and advice, including how to repurpose your post warranty assets, please get in touch.